Well I (for one) definitely liked Illyria more than Fred. And I think I liked Whiskey (on Dollhouse) more than either, with Beatrice right up there too (oh and I also love Sarah Shahi on Person of Interest, Amy return in that role tomorrow night).

Personally, I never found Illyria that compelling. I mean, it does fulfill the Buffyverse requirement of having a strong female character beating up Spike, but the emotional component of that character was entirely too dependent on Wesley. And if that were the case, I'd have preferred they fleshed out Fred but that's just me.

Although saying that, it doesn't follow that I don't adore "A Hole In The World" which I absolutely do.

Fred and Illyria are pretty much my two favorite characters ever, so it's hard for me to argue here. Illyria was definitely interesting, more interesting than Fred, but that doesn't mean Fred wasn't a great character! I just think Fred had lived out her interesting days, and they decided to bring in a new character.

That said, I instantly thought "Giles" when I read the title. He's become one of my favorite characters because of the flashbacks in Season 9. He's so interesting.

I never really liked Fred, although I thought she was really coming into her own in Season 5. However, when she became Illyria I was mesmerized! She instantly became my favorite Angel character.

This was also the moment where I realized how amazing Amy Acker was. Before that I just wrote her off as another pretty girl. After Illyria? Holy Geez Batman! I'm convinced she's the best actor Whedon has ever worked with. And really, why doesn't she have her own show?

While I certainly did not dislike her, I was never a huge Fred fan. I feel like her purpose on the show was mostly as a source of pain and drama for Wesley, and a source of tension for him and Gunn. On her own, I never thought she was all that fascinating of a character. She was sweet, charming, and certainly likable, but there wasn't a lot to explore with that character beyond what she brought to the table as a source of romantic conflict for both Gunn and Wesley. She was there mostly to service those two characters...and I didn't mean that in the way it sounded as I look back at what I just typed LOL

Illyria on the other hand, is one of the most awesome characters I've ever seen. She really showed me Amy Acker's range as an actress too. I didn't know she could do the bad girl role so well, which I later discovered again in hearing her voice The Huntress on Justice League Unlimited. I loved seeing an actual Old One. Her perspective on things is vastly different from the other characters and rather fascinating. There is also something amazingly awesome about seeing this dainty woman school both Angel and Spike in combat SIMULTANEOUSLY. And that was BEFORE she busted out the time manipulation super power. You talk about a girl power moment, that outdoes pretty much every single one we've ever seen with Buffy.

So yeah, Fred was nice. I never had any ill will towards the character, and never wished to see her killed off. However, I'd watch her die a dozen times over just to get an amazing character like Illyria.

Non spoilery comments on the other mentions on this list:

As for the Dr. Who character they mentioned, I liked that character a lot, but found the story line that they mentioned kind of silly. Guarding someone for that long, alone, with no human companionship, without going insane was not even remotely believable and went beyond my suspension of disbelief. I kind of hated that story. That character should have lost his/her (trying not to be spoilery) mind or committed suicide after so long of a wait.

The Torchwood mention on the other hand I fully agree with. That was the best arc on the show up until Children of Earth came out. One of the most fascinating uses of a resurrected character I have ever seen on any show

The Supernatural mention is a good one. That character has come back to life repeatedly with the show never fully explaining why. It's a fun mystery, and I have my own theory about it that I think the show has hinted at more than once.

The format of these types of lists is always so poorly done. If you want people to read your list without fear of spoilers. You should mention the show first, not the character. So people know to skip ahead a paragraph or two if they haven't seen that show yet. Common sense people.

Okay, so I've got the same question that io9 had: was that scene with Alexis, J. August, and Amy from the show, or not? I remember it from somewhere, but I can't remember what episode it would have been in.

@Angel&Faith: "There is also something amazingly awesome about seeing this dainty woman school both Angel and Spike in combat SIMULTANEOUSLY. And that was BEFORE she busted out the time manipulation super power. You talk about a girl power moment, that outdoes pretty much every single one we've ever seen with Buffy.
"

Not really. It can't be "girl power" when it's an old demon who isn't even female and just happens to be in a female body.